1. [Technical Field]
The present invention relates to a disc tray used at a time of taking a disc corresponding to a recording medium such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc and the like in and out a drive.
2. [Related Art]
There are descriptions about the disc tray in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. Hei8-235713, Hei10-27407 and Hei11-39762 and the like. In accordance with the publications, there is described a matter that disc holders serving for preventing a disc set in a disc set portion of a disc tray from falling away from the disc set portion are provided at a plurality of portions of the disc tray attached to the drive. It is necessary to prevent the disc from falling away in the disc holder mentioned above, mainly in the case of using the disc tray in a stand-up attitude, in other words, the case that the disc tray is equipped in the drive in a vertical attitude.
As mentioned above, in the disc tray equipped in the vertical attitude drive, it is necessary to hold the disc by the disc holder so as to prevent the disc from falling away the disc set portion, however, in the disc tray equipped in the horizontal attitude drive, it is not always necessary to hole the disc by the disc holder.
In this case, in the conventional disc tray, there are structures in which hook-shaped disc holders are swingably provided at a plurality of portions around the disc set portion. Then, the disc is set in the disc set portion and thereafter the disc holders provided at a plurality of portions around the disc set portion are independently rotated one by one by fingers so as to hold the disc. Further, at a time of taking out the disc received in the disc set portion, the disc holders are independently rotated one by one by the fingers so as to move to a position capable of taking out the disc.
[Problems to be Solved]
However, there is a problem that it is bother and troublesome to independently operate a plurality of disc holders one by one by the fingers as in the conventional manner.
The present invention is made by taking the conditions mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray which simultaneously operates disc holders at the other portions in the same manner only by operating one disc holder at a time of attaching and detaching a disc.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray that can set a disc to a disc set portion or taking out from the disc set portion by using only one hand.
Further, the other object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray which can evacuate a disc holder to a position not standing in the way of taking a disc in and out in the case of using a drive in a horizontal attitude in which it is unnecessary to hold the disc by the disc holder.
Further, the other object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray which can operate a disc holder in parallel to a disc chucking operation executed after a disc tray is completely pulled to a drive and a disc unchucking operation executed before the disc tray is pushed out from the drive.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a disc tray having a tray main body to which disc holders are mounted at a plurality of portions in the periphery of a disc set portion so as to be capable of moving in and out between a closed position preventing a disc set in the disc set portion from falling down and an open position making it possible to take the disc in and out the disc set portion, provided with a movable connecting member transmitting an opening and closing operation of optional one disc holder to the other disc holders so as to open and close the other disc holders.
In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to employ the structure in which the respective disc holders swing so as to move in and out between the closed position and the open position, swing center portions of the respective disc holders and swing members corresponding to the respective disc holders are respectively connected to each other via respective rotary shafts rotatably extending through and inserted to a plurality of portions of the tray main body, and the movable connecting member has a function of simultaneously moving the respective disc holders between the closed position and the open position via the respective rotary shafts by forward and backward swinging the respective swing members through the push pull operation, and in this case, it is possible to employ the structure in which the swing member are gears, and rack portions engaged with the gears forming the respective swing members are provided in the movable body.
In accordance with this invention, when setting the disc to the disc set portion, the optional one disc holder is protruded out from the open position to the closed position after setting the disc, so that the other disc holder protrudes out from the open position to the closed position so as to prevent the disc from falling away. Further, at a time of taking out the disc from the disc set portion, the optional one disc holder is moved backward from the closed position to the open position, so that the other disc holders move backward from the closed position to the open position so as to make it possible to take out the disc.
In accordance with the present invention, the movable connecting member can suitably employ various kinds of mechanisms such as a structure utilizing a broken type link corresponding to a swing member and the like in addition to a combination between the gear and the rack portion corresponding to the swing member mentioned above.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, it is desirable that the structure is made such that the disc holders are arranged in a front side of the tray main body in which the disc set portion is formed in a front side, the swing members and the movable connecting member are arranged in a back side of the tray main body.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to employ a structure in which the disc holders are mounted to three or more portions in the disc set portion, the movable connecting member has a plurality of rod bodies provided with rack portions, and the rack portions of the rod bodies are respectively engaged with the gears in which two gears constitute one pair.
In accordance with the present invention, it is desirable that the structure is made such that a rack capable of engaging with a tray driving gear placed in a drive side for pushing and pulling the disc tray mounted to the drive is mounted to any one of the rod bodies, the disc tray is completely pulled to the drive, whereby the rack interlocks with the tray driving gear, and the rack interlocking with the tray driving gear moves the rod body in a direction of moving in and out the disc holder between the closed position and the open position through a rotation of the tray driving gear. Further, it is desirable that the structure is made such that a disc chucking operation executed after the disc tray is completely pulled to the drive and an operation of moving the rod body in the direction in which the rack moves backward the disc holders from the closed position to the open position are executed in parallel, and a disc unchucking operation executed before the disc tray is pushed out from the drive and an operation of moving the rod body in a direction in which the rack protrudes out the disc holder from the open position to the closed position are executed in parallel.
In accordance with the structure mentioned above, when the disc tray is pulled in or pushed out with respect to the drive, the disc is held in the disc set portion by the disc holder so as to be prevented from falling away, and on the contrary during the disc rotation for recording on and reproducing the disc, the disc holder is moved backward to the open position so as to be prevented from being brought in to contact with the disc, so that it is possible to previously prevent the disc from being accidentally brought into contact with the disc holder so as to be injured during the disc rotation.
In this case, the subject to be required to prevent the disc set to the disc set portion from falling away by means of the disc holder is mainly the disc tray equipped in the drive in the vertical attitude, however, there is a case that the drive is used in the horizontal attitude, and in such a case, it is desirable that the structure is made such that the disc holder can be kept in the backward moved state at the open position.
In order to make the disc tray in accordance with the present invention correspond to this requirement, it is desirable that the rack can move between an operation position capable of interlocking with the tray driving gear and an evacuated position not interlocking with the tray driving gear.